Ask the Experts

By: Red Hot Mamas

Published: January 25, 2013

Our experts Dr. Mache Seibel, Karen Giblin, Dr. Michael Goodman, Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, Dr. Verna Brooks McKenzie and Dr. Marina Johnson field questions from our members. Submit your question.

Dear Red Hot Mamas Experts,

I am experiencing occasional incontinence, especially at night and have lost a great deal of sensation related to bladder fullness and voicing. Could menopause be the culprit?

Thank you,

S

---

Dear S,

There isn’t quite enough information to say for sure, but menopause certainly could be part of the problem. If your periods have stopped for one year due to menopause, then your vaginal and bladder tissues are not getting enough estrogen and that can cause the tissue to begin to thin and sensation around the bladder to become less.

Ask your doctor to get a blood test for FSH. If it is elevated, then you would likely benefit from local estrogen. That can be given in the form of creams, tablets, rings or gels. You can also try an over the counter product called Replens daily for a week and then twice weekly to see if that helps. Local estrogen thickens the tissues helps control the urine. You can also begin doing kegals exercises. Those are done by squeezing the muscles that stop the urine from flowing. Once you know which muscles to squeeze, you don’t have to be going to the bathroom, you can squeeze 10 to 20 times three or four times a day to build up. It can also be helpful not to drink a lot of fluids in the evening before bedtime and urinate before you go to sleep.

Good Health to You!

Dr Seibel and the team of Red Hot Mamas Experts